Fragile and Unbreakable
by losingsleep20
Summary: After Tony and Ziva are caught in a bomb blast, they have a little talk during recovery. Tiva one-shot. The story is better than the summary.


**A/N: **Just a short little one-shot I thought up after another personal experience this weekend. I hope this one's good, I feel like I let you guys down a bit with the end chapter of _Conflicted_. Tell me what you think; be sure to review!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own NCIS.

* * *

He sat silently in a chair next to her hospital bed. Tony DiNozzo's thoughts went back to this morning, still watching watching his partner sleep fitfully.

---

_They were in a warehouse trying to track down some psycho's bomb that had been planted a few hours ago. Ziva and Tony had gone in while McGee and Gibbs checked around the warehouse. _

_The pair split up, sweeping both sides of the warehouse. _

"_Ziva," Tony called, "I just found our bomb." _

_She walked over to where he was standing. Above their heads, a package of C4 and many wires sat on the support beam. _

"_It is on a timer," Ziva said, noticing the little numbers counting down. _

_Tony was about to call Gibbs when Ziva climbed up to the bomb. Tony followed her._

"_Ziva, are you crazy? Gibbs will kill us if the bomb doesn't get us first!" _

_Ziva ignored him and pulled out her knife. "If you are scared, the you may leave."_

_Tony shook his head at her a stayed put. He called Gibbs through the earwig. _

"_We found the bomb boss." Tony watched as Ziva went through all of the wires. _

_She snipped a green one; no reaction. _

_Gibbs's voice crackled in Tony's ear. "Don't touch anything without a bomb squad present."_

_Tony started to speak again as Ziva snipped a red wire. The contraption began beeping. _

"_Damn," Tony said, and the last thing he remembered was fallling through the air, taking a last glimpse of his partner. _

_---_

DiNozzo shook his head to clear his thoughts as his partner stirred. He moved over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Ziva," he whispered. She blinked open her eyes in response to his touch.

"Tony?"

"I'm right here, Ziva." She smiled and tried to sit up, only to be restrained by Tony.

"Oh no, my ninja. Take it easy."

She nodded and took in her partner's appearance. He and a few minor cuts and scrapes on his cheek and forehead, and his left hand was wrapped and bandaged. She guessed that he had a few bruises on his chest, because it looked like he was standing a bit awkwardly.

She reached out for his arm but winced in pain at the movement.

"What happened to your arm?" she asked, gesturing with a nod to his wrapped hand.

Tony looked down at his left hand. "Oh it's nothing, just a sprain. Not as bad as you, Miss Dah-Veed."

She raised her eyebrows at him and he gave her the run down on her condition. "You've got a few minor scrapes and cuts on your face, a nice bruised rib, a sprained ankle, and you were out cold for several hours."

Ziva groaned, "How long are they keeping me here?"

"Just overnight to be sure that you don't slip back into the mini-coma you had going on earlier.

Ziva tried to perk up. "I am fine, really! I do not need to stay here!"

Tony chuckled and winced as he said, "Nice try, crazy ninja. You're staying here."

They locked eyes for a moment, green eyes studying chocolate brown ones, and vice versa.

Tony spoke, "Were you having a nightmare? You were in a pretty fitful sleep."

Ziva looked down at her hands, playing with her hospital bracelet. Tony reached down and put his hand over her own to get her attention.

He looked straight at her. "Tell me," he demanded gently.

She sighed and said, "It was nothing, honestly. It was just my dream was really the bomb scene and the last thing I saw was you crashing to the ground. I was asleep, but worried."

She wouldn't meet Tony's gaze, so he lifted her chin up. "You had me worried when you were unconscious," he told her. She smiled weakly.

Tony couldn't believe it, but Ziva looked fragile after the pain and nightmares of the day. They stayed staring at each other until a nurse walked in and told DiNozzo it was time to go, and that Ziva needed rest. She left promptly, giving them a moment.

Tony straightened up and looked down at his partner, smiling slightly.

"Try to get some rest, Ziva."

As he turned to leave, Ziva called softly, "Tony, do not leave. I need you here."

Tony stopped in his tracks. Her words ripped like a bullet at his heart. Looking at her, he realized that she really did need him, she looked as if she were about to break. He strode back over to her bed and said, "I'll stay overnight in the waiting room. I'll be here when you wake up. I promise."

He leaned down and kissed the top of her head lightly. She smiled up at him and closed her eyes without complaint. Tony exited her room and went out to take up his post in a waiting room chair, where he would stay until Ziva woke up in the morning.

---

Gibbs walked into the waiting room early the next morning to find his senior field agent slumped in a chair, using his windbreaker as a blanket. One of the nurses had placed a pillow under his head during the night. Gibbs placed a coffee on the end table next to him, and sighed. He had watched the exchange between his agents last night from outside Ziva's room. They obviously cared about each other, especially if DiNozzo was having sleep-overs in the waiting room.

A ghost of a smile crossed his face as he thought about how the pair reminded him so much of himself and Jenny.

They were different though. They had their own special, unbreakable bond. There was no doubt that they would always be friends, no matter what happened between them.

Gibbs started to go check in on Ziva, he figured he could head slap them later for breaking Rule 12.


End file.
